Mid-Autumn Festival

Monday was Mid-Autumn Festival, when families get together to eat mooncakes and watch the moon together. :) I spent it with my dad, grandparents, aunt, and cousin Grace. My grandma made this mish-mosh stew thing made out of tofu, taro, radish, carrots, cabbage, vermicelli, and meatballs. I think the most accurate way to describe it would be a Chinese ratatouille! It was the ultimate comfort food. She also made a delicious pan-seared whole fish as well as steamed breaded pork ribs with yams underneath. 

Grace trying to escape the family photo.

See me tightly grasping her wrist, I am the enforcer (with a smile!).

Everyone completely food coma'd out, hahahahaha. :D

Needless to say we didn't get to watch the moon together, but there were mooncakes (see the tin on the coffee table)!

Oh and I almost forgot -- my grandpa told us a really funny story at the dinner table. It started when he accused me for not taking good care of my brother. To support this accusation he cited a fight that my brother and I had when we were little. He tells his story with increasing excitement until he's waving his hands around and pointing his finger at me, hahahaha... just imagine it with the dialogue below.

GP: You were a big bully, you totally took advantage of your brother all the time.

M: Yea... I remember... [not liking where this is going]

GP: And you beat him up all the time.

M: Yea, I remember that too.

GP: And he was a head shorter than you.

M: Yup... 

GP: There was a time when I heard you guys fighting and found you grabbing his hair. I told you to let go and you said "NO!!!!!"

M: ............... [that was how we usually ended up stalemating when we fought]

GP: So I smacked you really hard on the butt. I smacked you so hard that my hand hurt! My hand was numb! That's how hard I hit you!

M: ............... [buns of steel?]

GP: You didn't even flinch! You didn't even cry! You just teeter tottered a little, and then finally you let go. But you didn't let go because I had hit you. You let go because you wanted to hit grandpa!!!!

M: WHAT??? What are you talking about, why would I want to hit you?

GP: Well you went off muttering to yourself "找棍子，找棍子...." (I'm gonna find a stick, I'm gonna find a stick)

M: Wait, so you're saying......

GP: YOU WENT OFF TO FIND A STICK TO BEAT GRANDPA UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M: [spits out my food] HHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GP: Yea so I was like I don't want to deal with this anymore so I ran into my room and closed the door.

M: You were afraid of me beating you up?

GP: I pressed my ear to the door to see whether you guys were still fighting. But I didn't hear anything. So I opened the door and found you and your brother sitting quietly by the door.

M: How old were we? [And uh, you weren't worried that I'd seek retribution by beating my brother up with that stick instead?! Good job gramps.] 

GP. You guys weren't in school yet. So like five or six.

M: Wow.... I guess some things never change.

HAHA that was a hilarious story, I don't know whether it's all true but I'd like to think it was because it was wildly amusing. :) Totally OG.